SERVICE

One or more organization-operated programs or activities that have a common general objective and deploy the organization's material and human resources in a planned and systematic manner. An organization that publicly promotes or identifies itself in writing as offering a service, is licensed to deliver a service, assigns personnel and/or space to a service, or allocates financial resources to a service is considered to offer that service.		  
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  EMPOWERMENT

The process of helping individuals, families, groups, or communities to increase their personal, interpersonal, political, social, and/or economic strength or position and to develop influence that may impact their circumstances.		  
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  PROGRAM

A system of services offered by an organization. For example, an organization providing a mental health service may offer several mental health programs to different populations, e.g., a mental health program for adolescent teens. The word "program" can be used interchangeably with the word "service" or to describe specific programs.		  
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  FAMILY

Two or more people who consider themselves family and who assume obligations, functions, and responsibilities generally essential to healthy family life. Child care and child socialization, income support, long-term care, and other caregiving are among the functions of family life. The definition of "family" will rest with an individual's indication of who plays a family member role, including current or former foster family, adoptive family, extended family members, fictive kin, or significant others. Organizations that believe family is the central constellation in a child's life, and that family attachments are of primary importance for human development, will strive to work with professional staff to develop a common understanding of "family."		  
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  RESEARCH

For purposes of COA accreditation, all forms of internal or external research involving persons served except internal program evaluation and outcomes research, or educational projects performed by students and interns that are part of their professional training.		  
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  COMMUNITY

A specific group of people living in the same locality and who may share a common culture, values, and norms. Communities can also be defined by race, religion, ethnicity, age, occupation, political status, tribal affiliation, interest in particular problems or outcomes, or other common bonds. The term "community" encompasses worksites, schools, tribes, residential neighborhoods, business districts, recreational areas, and health and human service sites.		  
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  CUSTODY

The care, control, and maintenance of a child. The court legally can award custody to an agency in abuse and neglect cases or to parents in divorce, separation, or adoption proceedings. Child welfare departments retain legal custody and control of major decisions for a child in foster care; foster parents do not have legal custody of the children for which they provide care.		  
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  CONNECTED

The means by which individuals access services that may or may not be provided by the organization itself. These terms are used interchangeably when individuals are connected to services either directly or by referral. See also LINKED.		  
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  TRAINING

Instruction so as to make fit, qualified, or proficient in a skill or body of knowledge.		  
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  MANAGEMENT

See ADMINISTRATION		  
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  LEADERSHIP

A nonprofit organization's leadership consists of its governing body, chief executive officer, and may also include its senior management. In a public agency the term refers to the agency head and administration team. The term "leadership" is not generally applied to for-profit organizations. With respect to COA standards, in for-profit organizations the term leadership applies to the owner and board of directors if one exists.		  
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  LINKED

The means by which individuals access services that may or may not be provided by the organization itself. These terms are used interchangeably when individuals are linked to services either directly or by referral. See also CONNECTED. 		 
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  ASSESSMENT

An evaluation, which utilizes professional expertise and skills in the collection and analysis of data to understand and describe the nature of service needs of an individual, family, or group. Assessment, as in needs assessment, is also used to determine priorities of program planning and service development for the organization as a whole. See also DIAGNOSIS.		  
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Domestic Violence Services
  
Private Org Public Agency  

DV 8: Advocacy and Support Services

 
Survivors receive a range of supportive services that promote well-being and independence.

DV 8.01

 

The program’s services and providers:

  1. recognize individual and family values and goals;
  2. accommodate variations in life styles;
  3. emphasize personal growth, development, and situational change; and
  4. aim to help survivors gain confidence in their personal abilities.
Interpretation: Involving survivors in program development may be one way of promoting both responsive programming and the empowerment of survivors.
Research Note: Some research suggests that survivors find services more useful when providers treat them well and are respectful, supportive, responsive, and flexible.

DV 8.02

 

Survivors receive assistance with housing that includes, as needed:

  1. help finding a safe, stable living arrangement;
  2. information about available housing options; and
  3. education on tenant rights and responsibilities.
Interpretation: Appropriate housing options can include: (1) finding a new residence and living independently in a new community, (2) residing with friends or relatives, (3) transitional housing, (4) emergency shelter, and (5) returning home with necessary and available legal protections.

DV 8.03

 

Survivors are helped to manage any legal needs they may have, including:

  1. working with law enforcement;
  2. locating attorneys;
  3. obtaining protective orders;
  4. resolving issues related to divorce, custody, visitation, and child support; and
  5. understanding their legal rights.

DV 8.04

 

Comprehensive counseling services are available as needed, and include:

  1. short-term counseling;
  2. long-term counseling; and
  3. support groups.
Interpretation: Survivors who have mental health needs that cannot be met through the organization’s counseling services should be connected with appropriate mental health services, as referenced in DV 8.09(c).
Research Note: Some research suggests that survivors are more likely than women who have not been abused to have mental health needs, including those related to depression and post-traumatic stress disorder.

DV 8.05

 

Employment support promotes survivors’ ability to achieve economic independence and includes help in the following areas, as needed:

  1. obtaining needed educational services;
  2. developing habits, skills, and self-awareness essential to employability;
  3. writing resumes, completing job applications, and preparing for interviews; and
  4. finding and accessing local employment resources and placement options, including on the job training.
Interpretation: When survivors need economic aid immediately, they should also be connected with available financial assistance, as referenced in DV 8.09(e).
Research Note: Some research indicates that women living in economically distressed families and communities are more likely to experience domestic violence. Literature also suggests that one of the main reasons survivors remain in or return to abusive relationships is a lack of financial resources.

DV 8.06

 

Educational offerings promote independence and housing readiness and can include, as needed:

  1. activities of daily living;
  2. household management;
  3. budgeting and money management;
  4. credit and debt counseling;
  5. the use of community resources;
  6. information about public assistance; and
  7. interpersonal communication.

DV 8.07

 

Services provided in a group setting:

  1. emphasize group learning and sharing;
  2. respond flexibly to the changing needs of group members; and
  3. are scheduled with participants’ time commitments in mind.
NA The organization does not provide services in a group setting.

DV 8.08

 

Group services provide participants with opportunities to:

  1. contribute by sharing their experiences;
  2. listen to and learn from those who are similar to and different from themselves;
  3. develop positive relationships with others;
  4. assume responsibilities and develop leadership capacities; and
  5. participate in activities of interest.
NA The organization does not provide services in a group setting.

DV 8.09

 

Survivors are linked to a range of other services that include, as needed:

  1. food and nutrition assistance;
  2. health services, including both emergency and routine medical care;
  3. mental health services;
  4. services for substance use conditions;
  5. financial assistance;
  6. transportation assistance;
  7. child care; and
  8. family support and strengthening services.
Interpretation: When an organization provides shelter services to survivors’ children, medical and dental assessments for children and youth should be conducted in accordance with well-child guidelines.

DV 8.10

 
Survivors are helped to develop and expand their informal support networks, including connections with friends, extended family, and community members.
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PURPOSE: Individuals who receive Domestic Violence Services gain a sense of empowerment, improve their well-being, and increase their ability to live safely and independently.
 
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